The Ford Mustang is a sports car made by Ford. People talk about it a lot because it’s designed to be fun to drive and it comes in newer versions over time. It’s often mentioned as an example of a “new” performance model you might want to buy.
A “funny car” is a specific type of drag-racing car. It’s built to go extremely fast in a straight line, usually with a body that looks like a real car.
In drag racing, a “quarter mile” is a standard race distance. It’s about 1,320 feet, so everyone can compare results fairly.
Concept
electric motorcycle record
They’re comparing against a known electric motorcycle benchmark measured over a quarter mile. In drag racing, the time it takes to cover that distance is a big deal.
A dragster is a car built to race in a straight line over a short distance. An electric dragster uses an electric motor and battery instead of a gasoline engine.
Concept
F1 Red Bull team
This is talking about Red Bull’s Formula 1 racing team. They’re known for developing cutting-edge tech, and the host is saying that kind of development is helping electric racing move faster.
For electric cars, the battery is a big part of how fast the car can go. Better batteries can be lighter and still store enough energy to make strong acceleration.
A nitro car is a drag-racing car that runs on nitromethane fuel. It’s known for making a lot of power, so people use it as a benchmark when talking about record-setting speed.
An engine program is a planned effort to develop and improve the engine for racing. It’s more than just maintenance—it’s about building the right parts and tuning them for performance.
The engine block is the main metal housing inside the engine. The heads sit on top and help control how fuel and air enter and how exhaust leaves—so they’re key parts for making power.
In racing talk, “motors” usually means purpose-built engines rather than just production powerplants. Building their own motors lets the team control performance details like airflow, fuel delivery, and internal components to match drag racing’s acceleration-focused demands.
The chassis is the main frame of the race car. If a team builds it themselves, they can tailor the frame to how they want the car to handle and perform.
Drag racing is a type of racing where cars race side-by-side over a short straight track. The goal is to accelerate as fast as possible from the start and cross the finish first.
This part is about the family and racing history behind Tasker Ford, and how people recognize that connection on older cars. It’s mainly a story about tradition.
The 2026 Ford Expedition Tremor is a bigger Ford SUV meant to handle rougher roads. In this episode, they highlight that it has a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 and they mention its power numbers.
A 10-speed automatic is the car’s automatic gearbox with ten different gear ratios. It helps the SUV stay in the right “power range” so it feels smooth and responsive.
“Hunting for gears” means the car keeps changing gears back and forth. It usually happens when the transmission isn’t sure which gear will work best for what you’re doing right then.
Low-range is an off-road gear setting that makes the SUV move slower but with more “pull.” It’s useful for climbing, crawling, or going over rough ground.
Drive modes are different settings that change how the car behaves. Off-road modes usually make the power delivery and traction control more suitable for dirt or rough terrain.
Towing max is the maximum weight the vehicle is rated to tow under manufacturer specifications. The host uses it to compare the Tremor-equipped Expedition’s capability versus a regular Expedition.
This is a Ford feature that makes backing up a trailer easier. You use a control in the cab to tell the trailer which way to go instead of doing everything by hand.
Genesis is a luxury line made by Hyundai. The podcast mention suggests they’re talking about something you notice when you use the turn signal. That could be how the lights behave or how the car signals your turn.
The third row is the back row of seats in a big SUV. When you fold those seats down, you usually get a lot more space for luggage, tools, or bulky items.
Aggressive tires are made to grip better on dirt and rough surfaces. They usually make more noise on pavement, so they’re a tradeoff for better off-road traction.
Variable compression ratio means the engine can adjust how tightly it squeezes the air-fuel mixture before it’s ignited. That helps the engine run efficiently when you’re cruising and behave better when you’re working harder.
Infiniti is mentioned as part of the same story as Nissan—brands that have explored engines that can change compression. That can improve fuel economy while still allowing strong performance when needed.
Nissan is mentioned as one of the automakers working on engines that can change how much they compress the mixture. That helps the engine choose between better efficiency and more power.
Piston stroke is how far the piston moves up and down inside the cylinder. If that movement changes, the engine can change how much it compresses the mixture.
Term
camshaft shifting
The camshaft controls when the engine’s valves open and close. Changing cam timing can change how the engine behaves, and it’s sometimes part of systems that adjust compression or combustion timing.
Top dead center is the point where the piston is at its highest position. If an engine changes timing around that point, it can change how much the cylinder compresses the mixture.
Instead of the usual one-piece rod that moves the piston, this uses multiple linked parts to control the piston’s movement more precisely. That precision is what allows the engine to change compression.
This is an engine that can change how “squeezed” the air-fuel mixture is before it’s ignited. It also uses a turbo to help make power, and the goal is better efficiency and performance depending on how you drive.
An actuator motor is an electric motor that makes adjustments automatically. In this engine, it helps move parts so the engine can change compression when needed.
Reciprocating motion just means moving back and forth. In an engine, that’s the piston sliding up and down, which can create vibration if it’s not balanced well.
A wastegate is a valve that helps control how hard the turbo spins. When it’s electric, the car can adjust it more precisely, so you get boost faster and more consistently.
Boost pressure is how much extra “push” the turbo gives to the air going into the engine. More boost usually means the engine can make more power, as long as everything stays within safe limits.
An Atkinson cycle is a way of timing the engine so it uses energy more efficiently. It changes how the intake valves open/close so the engine can get more work out of the same fuel.
Pumping loss is wasted effort the engine spends just to move air around. When the throttle is partly closed, the engine has to fight more resistance, which hurts fuel economy.
The throttle valve is like a controllable air restriction. When it closes, the engine has to pull against more resistance, which can reduce fuel economy.
Intake valves are the engine valves that let air into the cylinder. When they open and close matters because it changes how much air gets in and when.
Concept
knock risk (engine knock)
If an engine squeezes the mixture too much or boosts it too hard, it can start “knocking,” which is harmful. Engine tech like changing compression helps prevent that while still making power.
The Ford F-150 is a popular full-size pickup. The host is saying today’s trucks are bigger than older ones, so they’re harder to fit into parking spots.
Engine oil is designed to flow at certain speeds. “Viscosity shear” means the oil can get damaged by use, so it flows differently than it was supposed to.
Engine oil contains an additive package (detergents, anti-wear agents, corrosion inhibitors, etc.) meant to perform specific jobs. When oil sits for a long time, some additives can separate or “settle out,” so the oil may not protect the engine as effectively until it’s mixed back up by running the engine.
The “additives” are the chemicals in oil that do the important protection work. If the car sits, those chemicals can separate, and driving helps mix them back in.
A head gasket is a seal inside the engine that keeps fluids and combustion gases from mixing where they shouldn’t. If it leaks, you can get problems like coolant or moisture getting into the wrong areas.
PCV stands for a system that keeps the engine’s crankcase from building up unwanted vapors. It sends those vapors back into the engine to be burned, and that can help reduce moisture and gunk in the oil over time.
The air filter is the part that cleans the air going into the engine. If the air is humid or wet, that moisture can be pulled in along with the air.
Concept
thin air
Thin air means there’s less air (and less oxygen) in each breath of air, usually at higher elevations. That can change how an engine or powertrain performs, so setups may need adjustment.
A carburetor is an older way of mixing fuel and air for the engine. Modern cars usually use electronic fuel injection, which can adjust more precisely than a carburetor.
Octane is a rating on gasoline that helps prevent the engine from detonating or knocking. The idea is that some conditions need higher-octane fuel, especially on older engines.
A dwell meter measures how long the ignition system stays in its “on” state each cycle. It was especially useful for tuning older ignition setups with points.
A 1974 Torino is a classic Ford muscle car from the 1970s. It’s the kind of older car enthusiasts talk about because it’s part of the Torino lineup and has a big following.
Metric bolts and nuts use a different size system than older American ones. The takeaway is that you might need both metric and SAE tools because not everything uses the same standard.
SAE is an older measurement system for nuts and bolts used a lot on American cars. The point here is that if you only buy metric tools, you might not fit the older SAE bolts you run into.
Torx screws have a star-shaped head. They usually hold onto the tool better than Phillips screws, so they’re less likely to slip while you’re tightening or loosening them.
Car
Lexus S300h
This Lexus S300h had a weird safety problem. The tire-pressure warning would act up, and then the ABS warning would briefly flash. When braking, the car would pulse and still not stop where it should.
This is the system that checks your tire pressures and warns you if something’s wrong. Here, the warning seems to flicker on and off, which suggests the system wasn’t reading correctly all the time.
The ABS light tells you there’s an issue with the car’s anti-lock braking system. If it flashes or comes on, the car may not brake the way it normally should, which can affect stopping distance and control.
The brake booster helps your foot push the brakes harder. If that part isn’t working right, you can press the brake and the car may not slow down as strongly as it should.
In modern cars, “codes” usually refers to diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) stored by the vehicle’s computers. The speaker says the dealership needed certain codes, but they weren’t coming up—meaning the fault may be intermittent or not present long enough to be captured during diagnosis.
This is a specialist from the car maker who steps in when the dealership can’t figure out the problem. They help when the issue is confusing or keeps happening even after basic troubleshooting.
Term
field service guy
They mean a technical expert from the manufacturer who can help the dealer figure out what’s going on. It’s usually called when the dealer can’t solve it by themselves.
It means the car isn’t saving an error message that a scanner can read. Without that, the problem can be tougher to track down, especially if it happens only sometimes.
Lemon law is a rule that helps protect car buyers when a car keeps having the same problem and the shop can’t fix it. It usually requires records of repair attempts.
ABS is a safety system that helps your brakes not lock up. The ABS pump is the part that quickly adjusts brake pressure when the system senses a wheel is slipping.
The master cylinder is the part that creates the hydraulic pressure that makes your brakes work. If it’s not working right, the brakes can feel wrong or trigger related issues.
An extended warranty is extra coverage after the normal warranty ends. It can help pay for repairs if the problem is diagnosed as something that should be covered.
The Mazda CX-90 is a family SUV with three rows of seats. The podcast mentions a 2024 model with a turbocharged 3.3-liter engine and around 10,000 miles. That’s a common point to check how the car is working in normal use.
5W-20 is a type of engine oil with a specific thickness. Thicker or thinner oil can affect how the engine is lubricated, especially when it’s cold, and it can also influence fuel economy.
0W-20 is a thinner-in-cold-weather engine oil. The “0W” part means it’s meant to lubricate quickly when the engine is first started, and the episode compares it to thicker options.
5W-30 is engine oil that’s a little thicker than 5W-20 when the engine is hot. People sometimes choose it for certain climates or seasons, and that’s part of the debate in this segment.
0W-30 is engine oil that still flows well when it’s cold, but it’s thicker than 0W-20 once the engine is warmed up. The key takeaway here is that it can be acceptable if it meets the right requirements.
API spec is a label that tells you the oil meets certain quality and performance requirements. The takeaway is that the right spec matters more than the exact viscosity number, as long as you change it when the schedule says.
Custom wheels are aftermarket wheels that may use different fitment details than the factory wheels, including wheel/tire offsets and sometimes lug nut styles. Because of that, it’s especially important to recheck wheel fasteners after the initial driving period.
The hub is the center part where the wheel attaches to the car. If it’s rusty, the wheel may not sit as cleanly, so it’s worth paying attention after installing wheels.
Craggers are a particular older style of aftermarket wheel. The host is saying they may use a different type of lug nut than other wheels, so you should double-check the hardware.
LIVE
W-A-T-D presents John Paul, the car doctor, All Things Automotive.
Have questions?
Call or text 7-8-1-837-4900.
Now, here's John Paul, the car doctor.
Well, good Sunday morning everyone and welcome to another edition of the car doctor program
on 95-9-W-A-T-D.
My name is John Paul, the car doctor here to help you with your car problems on this
Sunday, Mother's Day.
We'll talk about that a little bit later too.
It's one of those times a year.
We see the weather changing a little bit, things are coming up, and maybe you've made it through
the winter and into spring and you're thinking about buying a new car.
Ford has a new program where you can buy a car with employee pricing and with us on the
phone is Bob Tasker, the third owner of Tasker Automotive.
Bob, good morning and welcome back to the car doctor program.
Good morning John, it's been a minute since we've been on, it's great to be on with you.
I know, you have all kinds of things going on, but this Ford employee pricing thing, this
is quite the deal, right?
Yes, it's a big deal.
They did it last year, they brought it back this year with celebrating 250 years with
our country.
They thought it would be great to offer all customers employee pricing and it's really
not a gimmick.
It's an incredible value to our customers.
We had an incredible day yesterday at our Ford stores and customers see the value and
they see the cars flying off the lot, so if you want to act, you certainly want to act
now.
How long is this program going to go on for?
It's through the end of the month and it's this month and next month, but the best election
will be now as inventory shrinks.
If you're thinking about buying a car in the next couple of months, you're going to want
to do it now.
I have to think we're almost getting close to the order book being closed for the 26th
Absolutely.
Some models have already closed and we're looking at 2027s now.
And does the employee pricing, is it on all models of Fords, like if you wanted to go
up and buy the new hottest Mustang, for instance, or are there some examples?
It's on all, there are some exceptions on the Raptors and so forth, but for the overwhelming
majority of the vehicles, we sell a qualified Ford.
Good, good.
And this is at, you know, for people who are listening online or they're listening, they're
going to be listening later to the podcast, this is at any Ford dealer, right?
Any Ford dealer, but we love them to come to ours, John.
Absolutely.
Why not?
Why not?
And, you know, for your grandfather, who I had the honor of meeting, you know, many,
many years ago, you know, I'm not sure if he coined the expression, you know, race on
Sunday, sell on Monday kind of thing, but Task of Ford is still seriously involved in racing,
but I was talking to Brian Lones earlier in the week and he told me something I didn't
know.
You're not in the driver's seat anymore.
You've kind of given that off to somebody else now, right?
Well, hey, listen, I've taken a year off.
I had a great opportunity to sign a deal with the Proc family.
So Jimmy Proc, Austin Proc and Thomas Proc.
You know, Jimmy Proc has been the winningest funny car tuner of my generation by the last
20 plus years and he's just so smart, so capable.
And I just looked at my program over the next decade and that's the kind of talent that you
want around you to build around.
And we tried really hard to bring out two cars this year, but we just weren't able to
do it.
So I told Jimmy, I said, we do a deal and we can't get a second car this year.
I said, I'll put Austin in my car and he's not too bad of a driver.
You know, two-time world champion.
I can tell you when I was driving last year, he was the one driver that you had to get
up the most for the race, but it's been absolutely awesome having them in our program.
It's been an immense amount of work to get the car ready for this season where we're
just now starting to catch our stride.
It's been a tough start to say the least, but we tested Monday after Valdosta.
We're going to Chicago next weekend and we're very optimistic that we're turning the corner
with this new setup.
And then next year is the plan to bring back a second car if not next year, the following
year.
So I'll be back and it's just a matter of, you know, building this new platform.
And, you know, when you look at racing, and let me back up a little bit here about racing
for a second, you hold the record, 341 miles an hour?
Yes, it was pretty cool.
I don't watch Jeopardy, but I got a note this morning, I don't know, it was two days ago.
I guess they had me on Jeopardy as a question and the first person to ever break 340 miles
per hour in any race car, in any class in drag racing was me.
In Bradington, Florida, I ran 341.68 miles per hour.
It's still to this day the fastest run ever in a funny car.
The dragsters have gone a little faster.
But that was one of the biggest milestones in the history of drag racing when we cracked
340 miles per hour.
And remember, John, that's in a thousand feet, not a quarter mile.
And I remember when I started racing at a quarter mile, it was like unbelievable to
run 325, 330 miles per hour.
No one ever imagined we could run over 340 miles per hour in a football field less distance.
So it's just these cars are so powerful, they're so quick, and they're only continuing to get
faster and faster as we go.
But yeah, that was a big deal.
And now I'm working on an electric record.
So we ran 221 miles per hour in Charlotte in the Ford Cobra Jet, which is a car my grandfather
invented, EV 2000.
It's an all-electric Mustang.
And we're going to take it to Las Vegas and try to set the all-time world record of any vehicle,
because right now an electric motorcycle holds it at 6.61 seconds and a quarter mile.
And Las Vegas gives us a little bit of an advantage, the air's thinner, so the car should go
quicker, and I'm going to drive it in Vegas.
So I'm going to try to be the fastest man on the planet in an electric car, and so far I'm still
the fastest man on the planet in a funny car.
And I seem to remember Don Garlets was trying to build an electric dragster once.
I don't know if he was, you know, the Swamp Rat 5200 or whatever it was going to be.
You know, he was working on that, but the technology wasn't really there then.
Now the technology is there to build a super fast electric vehicle.
Yeah, it's unbelievable.
Like the Ford team, you know, we work hand-in-hand with the F1 Red Bull team.
The technology they've developed on the electric side is truly remarkable.
I mean, basically if we set this record, we're pretty much as fast as a pro-star car is today,
with a car that weighs like almost 600 pounds more because of the battery.
So as the battery technology gets better, the car will get lighter and it'll have even more horsepower
to accelerate the car.
I mean, they say someday they're going to be faster than a nitro car.
I don't know if I believe that, but we'll see.
Yeah, I know.
You look at people like, you know, John Force and Don Garlets, who still has
forearms that look like he should be on Popeye.
Do you see yourself, you know, involved in the sport as you get older?
Yeah, absolutely.
And that was a big reason why I made the decision this year to take a step out of the seat,
is that at some point I got to bring in new drivers.
We got to build out an engine program where we're working with Ford now on blocks and heads
and try to really take the sport to a new level with Ford's engineering support.
So for me, it was a natural move to bring in the best team that's ever done it.
We've invested a significant amount of money into our shop in Indianapolis.
And over the next couple of years, you're going to see us build our own chassis in-house,
our own motors, and we're going to sell those to the racers so we can have more Ford's
in the sport racing.
So absolutely.
I love the sport of drag racing.
My grandfather coined the phrase, went on Sunday, sell on Monday.
You know, growing up as a kid, being around Ford and seeing what they did with Carol Shelby
and what my grandfather did.
I mean, those are the stories that got me into racing and to be able to play a small
role in continuing to grow that success with Tasker and Ford together in drag racing
is a dream come true for me.
So absolutely, we'll be in this sport for a long time.
Yeah, I periodically go to different cars and coffee events and all of that.
And I still see some of the original Tasker Ford script that people have on their 1960s cars.
And they're so proud of that for having it and seeing it and, you know,
and the idea that there's that connection to Tasker Ford and Tasker Ford racing.
Well, listen, it's a great story, you know, for New England to have a family,
the Tasker family with Ford and what we've accomplished across the country.
You know, it's always great to come home and see the local support that we get.
And as I'm around the country, people come up to me at the ropes and tell me the stories of, you know,
what my grandfather did and how they grew up in New England.
So it's a special deal.
I mean, I'll never forget winning the New England National.
You know, that was a race that I always wanted to win, you know, to win your hometown race.
So it's a lot of great history.
And, you know, it's fun right now to be able to give employee pricing to all our Ford fans and customers in New England.
Yeah, absolutely.
And do you guys still do your big event?
I think it's in August at the Ford store.
Yes, we do.
We've been doing it for over 20 years now.
And it is, I'm going to give you the date here.
It's September 12th.
September 12th will be the event.
It's that task of Ford in Cranston, Rhode Island.
Bring your Ford show cars, mustangs.
We don't care really what it is.
It's all for a great cause.
We ask everyone to bring two canned goods to benefit the Rhode Island Food Bank.
We bring in a band.
I bring our race car in.
We start it up.
We'll have the Proc family there.
It'll be probably one of the biggest ones we've ever had this September 12th.
And, you know, I live quite a ways away from the dealership.
And I'm pretty sure I heard your funny car start 100 miles away.
Yeah, it's funny because a lot of people have never heard it before.
And when we started up and we hit the throttle, you can see him jump about a foot off the ground.
People don't realize, you know, we make 15,000 horsepower and the energy that comes off the car is pretty remarkable.
Yeah.
Yeah, I remember years ago you called into the program I was on on Saturday and you were picking up John Forrest
because John Forrest was going to be at the Ford store that day.
And I had met him off and on, you know, very casually at different things.
And he was as wound up as always.
Oh, yeah.
Now John, you know, played a big part in getting me into the sport and, you know, he's since retired.
He's got some really good drivers over there, but he's still an icon.
He's still out there.
Yeah, absolutely.
So employee pricing at the Ford store, employee pricing at Task Afford.
You guys have expanded your dealer network quite a bit now.
How many different stores do you have?
Oh, we got a bunch.
We have 11 Ford Lincoln stores throughout the country.
I don't know.
I stopped counting.
We've got close to 40 stores all throughout the country.
So we've really expanded our platform in New York, Connecticut.
We have Ford stores in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Chicago, Kansas City, New York.
We have Lincoln stores in Florida, Rhode Island, Connecticut.
So we were, we're all over the, I would say the Mississippi East side of the country.
And we're still expanding.
Still, wow.
Amazing story from starting off at the single dealership.
And like you said, your grandfather, who I had the privilege to meet, the idea that he put the idea of sales and racing together.
And, and, you know, over the years, I've seen how the, not just racing, but the automotive community comes together in a lot of different ways and crosses a lot of different age groups and people.
And, you know, whether there's somebody who likes a, you know, hot rod Honda or somebody who, somebody who's looking for the fastest Ford Mustang.
All of a sudden they start to talk and chat together and they might have different personalities and they might like different things.
But at the end of the day, they're all car people.
And, you know, that's what I think comes out of, you know, this industry and how it all works together.
Yeah, no, absolutely.
I call it relationship marketing.
You know, you don't, you don't necessarily measure the ROI's like you can on Google or some of the other platforms.
But when you bring, you know, motorsport people together, whether it's out of race and you're winning and losing and you're in the pits and you're talking about a passion, right?
Which is cars and it's a passion to so many people out there.
It really does bring people together and Ford Motor Company has been doing that for, you know, over 100 years.
So it's, it's quite, you know, Ford's been part of the fabric of America since the beginning.
Yeah, absolutely.
And the idea that there's Ford employee pricing and whether it's at, you know, Tasker Ford here or Tasker or any of the other Ford stores you have now.
Go check it out.
Go see what the prices are.
It's a good, you know, if you've gotten through the winter time, good time, good time to think about.
Maybe it's, maybe it's time for a new car.
Yeah, absolutely.
Sounds good to me, John.
There you go.
Hey, Bob, thanks for taking some time out of your Sunday and joining us on the car doc program.
Always a pleasure to be on and happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there.
Absolutely.
All right.
Thanks, Bob.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
Why don't we take a break?
Pay some bills.
My name is John Paul.
This is a car doctor program.
If you want to give us a call and talk about your car, give us a call at 781-837-4900.
When we come back, kind of in the Ford lineup, we're going to be talking about the Ford Expedition, but not just any expedition, the tremor, the Ford Expedition tremor.
We'll talk about that when we come back.
My name is John Paul.
Hey, this is Kylie Evans.
Tune in to Twilight Showcase Radio hosted by Sandy Stride and Keith James on 959-WATD and also at 959-WATD.com.
Search for Twilight Showcase on Facebook and visit twilightshowcase.org.
Twilight Showcase tonight from 8 to 10 on 959-WATD.
Make an appointment Sunday morning at 11 for John Paul, the car doctor, on 959-WATD.
Now, back to the car doctor.
Hi, Dr. Purgrim on 959-WATD.
If you want to join us, phone lines are open at 781-837-4900.
781-837-4900.
The 2026 Ford Expedition Tremor has a 3.5 liter twin turbo EcoBoost V6.
No, it doesn't make 10,000 horsepower like Bob Tasker's funny car does,
but it does make 440 horsepower and 510 foot-pounds of torque.
That's a lot of power for a big SUV.
It pulls hard from down low. You don't need to rev it up, step on it, and it goes.
The transmission's a 10-speed automatic.
I believe it's the same transmission that GM and Ford worked on together.
Out on the highway, it shifts smooth around town.
Every once in a while, it seems a little confused and sometimes hunts for gears,
and that could be because this is a test car.
What happens is modern cars learn your driving style.
Now, this has a fair amount of miles on it,
so it's been driven by dozens of different people,
so sometimes until it gets used to that, it can't get that.
But overall, I found it shifted just fine.
Off-road, you need to use low-range and drive modes.
It's got all kinds of off-road stuff.
Because this is the Tremor version, it has running boards.
It has panels underneath so you can go off-road.
I don't know how many people would really take something as big as a Ford Expedition off-road,
but maybe they just want the look of it.
Using the low-range is good.
Otherwise, if you don't use low-range, this thing has almost instant torque.
It has 500 foot-pounds of torque.
If you were in a little bit higher gear and you stepped on the gas,
I think it would spin the tires pretty easy.
Towing max is out at about 9,000 pounds.
That's actually a little bit less than a regular Expedition.
That's because the suspension makes the car sit up a little bit higher.
Again, more for off-road.
But 9,000 pounds is a pretty formidable towing number.
This also has the Ford Easy Backup System.
Something I haven't tried yet, but I would like to someday.
I've mentioned before I have a little boat.
A little small boat. Nothing big. A little 15-foot boat.
I can't back up a trailer to save my life.
I mean, I do it, but it takes me some tries.
People have different opinions.
Put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel.
When you turn to the right, the trailer will go to the right and left.
I find the best way for me to back up a trailer is to turn around in the seat
and actually look at the trailer.
Then my hands seem to know more what to do.
You can't always do that.
I'd love to know how to back up better with mirrors, which I seem to have a problem with.
Plus, it's a short trailer, which makes backing up a little bit hard.
But this system, literally, it's a knob on the dash and you are on the console.
And as you go to back up, you just turn the knob.
You want the trailer to go left. You turn it to the left, right.
Haven't tried it. I tried it. Well, I shouldn't say that.
I tried it on a demonstration years ago when it first came out.
But it was a big box trailer and it wasn't mine.
But it worked really well. But one of these days, I'm going to try it.
Now let's take a look at the inside and see what the inside looks like.
The steering wheel, it's not round. It's rectangular.
Reminiscent of, was it 63 Chrysler's had kind of a rectangular steering wheel?
I think so.
It just feels a little bit odd when you first grab onto it, but you get used to it.
It's sort of strange for no good reason. I don't know why they did it.
You get in and you go, hey, look at the steering wheel. That looks different.
There's screens, big ones. There's a large digital gauge cluster in front of you.
Another huge tablet style in the middle. Kind of repetitive.
You look at the GPS and it is on one screen. It's also on the other.
It's really impressive looking, but if you know me, too many displays and not enough buttons.
Things like changing the, you know, fan speed or changing the heated seats takes too many taps.
But, you know, that's what we're seeing right now.
It has one of the absolute best backup cameras I've ever seen.
The display is crystal clear.
And also they have, I think Honda started first and then Hyundai and Genesis do it.
When you turn the turn signal on, there's cameras.
So you actually get a view on the dash of what like a rear side view mirror would look.
So it's really handy for people who sneak into your blind spot.
And on a big vehicle, people sneak into your blind spot.
Storage is actually good. There's a big center console bin that fits lots of stuff.
Storage under the center display.
There's a useful space under the center console that powers open with the push of a button.
It looks like, you know, if you needed to, you know, put something in there and sort of hide it so it was out of view.
It looks really handy for that sort of thing.
There's, behind the third row, there's enough space for groceries or weekend bags.
You know, if you had a full car, so two people in the front, couple people in the back, third row,
I don't know if there'd be enough room for all of their bags.
You know, weekend roller bags, probably.
Full of the seats down. Yeah.
You know, you want to go buy 4x8 sheets of plywood or 80 inch TV.
Plenty of room for that.
You know, coolers for the entire sports team. They'll all fit in there.
Bottom line, you know, the power's there. There's no question.
Transmission's good. Could be better, but maybe it's just a vehicle.
The interior tech is flashy, but it's a little bit fussy.
The rectangular steering wheel, I don't know.
I mean, I've grown to get used to it.
It's still weird when I get in it that it's not a round steering wheel.
It doesn't feel weird when you're driving it, but it does, you know, it's there.
Because this is designed for off-road, the tires are very aggressive,
so they're a little bit on the loud side. You hear them all the time, but that's the price of off-road ability.
So, you know, if you tow a boat, if you tow a camping trailer, if you drive on dirt roads,
if you go off-road on weekends, the Expedition Tremort makes sense.
It's capable, it's strong, it's got plenty of room in it,
but if you sit in traffic every day and want a quiet, comfortable family hauler,
I think the regular Expedition would be just fine.
But if you want something that stands out in the crowd a little bit,
yeah, the tremor.
So, did the Ford Expedition Tremort answer a question that no one asked?
Do you need a big off-road capable SUV?
If you say yes, then this is it.
This is a big off-road capable SUV that looks cool.
They added some interesting accents to it.
Everybody who looks at it likes it.
And especially women.
Women have looked at this and said, I really like the looks of their car.
They never like the looks of me, but they like the looks of the Expedition Tremort.
So, there's the answer.
So, again, if you're looking for a big off-road capable SUV that you can put your whole family in,
tow a boat, tow a camper trailer, tow a horse trailer, I guess.
Punny. You're good. You're good to go.
So, there you go.
Let's see. Jesse's sending me messages, I think.
And for some reason, I don't know why.
Jesse, is this message new? Joe from the North Shore?
Yep.
Yep. All right. Let's talk to Joe. Joe.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Yeah, I watched that motor week as often as I can.
And a couple of three weeks ago, you know, you've seen the show.
They do a review, you know, all the nuts and bolts of the car.
But they refer to something in the engine as a variable compression ratio.
Any idea what that is or how it even works?
You know, it's something we're starting to hear the terminology a little bit more.
You know, it used to be the only variable compression engines
that I ever knew about were things like air conditioner compressors.
You know, it was like they could vary a little bit.
Now what happens is, and I think Nissan and Infiniti started a variable compression
turbo engine and it's it adjusts the compression kind of well.
It's running to try to balance efficiency.
It has to do with the kind of this weird system that changes piston stroke somehow.
I don't really know how it works.
Yeah.
But you know,
because to me, the compression ratio, that was like a fixed value, you know,
yeah, 901, nine and a half to one.
And I said, how the heck can they vary it?
You know, they do it with the, you know, campshaft shifting around.
They do it.
Well, you know, you get maximum compression at top dead center, right?
Right.
So what they do is they vary when top dead center happens.
So if it's happening a little bit before, after top dead center,
the compression ratio is going to be different.
What will be done to the crankshaft or the cam?
No, I think it's just all done electronically.
Again, I, you know, when you get a high compression ratio, you get what, more power, right?
So when you get a low compression ratio, maybe you can get a little bit more efficiency.
So that's what you mentioned.
I'm pretty sure that's the one that they were evaluating.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And it has to, I wish I had a really good answer for you, but there's a pack, there's apparently,
and now I'm cheating and I'm reading.
Let's see here.
That's okay.
It says the variable compression turbo engine uses a multi link system in place of a traditional connecting rod
to rotate the crankshaft and an actuator motor changes the multi link system endpoint
in a way that the piston reaches, reach to transform compression ratio.
So it doesn't work the way I thought to make it possible to vary the compression ratio continually.
It, it's as needed within a range of 8.1 to 14.1.
The optimal compression ratio can be set to match the operation of the accelerator pedal by the driver.
It is a weird looking thing.
Let's see.
It says here, when the, when a change in compression ratio is needed, the actuator moves the actuator arm.
The actuator arm rotates on the, on the control shaft.
The rotation of the control shaft moves the lower link, changing the multi link angle.
The multi link system adjusts the vertical position of the piston stroke within the cylinder,
changing the compression ratio.
Yikes.
That sounds like a whole bunch of stuff that can break.
Yeah, I was going to say I wouldn't want to rebuild one of those anytime soon.
No.
Gee.
And let's see.
And then it goes on to say optimization of the link layout.
The angular change of the upper link when the piston moves up and down is small.
The upper link U link remains more vertical as it moves smoothly.
This reduces friction to the cylinder walls and contributes to improved fuel efficiency.
The reciprocating motion of the piston between top dead center and bottom dead center becomes symmetrical to help reduce vibration.
The vario compressor turbo engine uses a newly developed high efficiency wide range turbocharger electric wastegate.
This allows precise control of boost pressure with minimum turbo lag.
That sounds like a lot of pieces inside an engine because there's this actuator and thing and.
It's beyond my pay grade.
Yeah.
And again, I think it's one of those things that worry about when it breaks.
Let's see it.
Let's see.
It also says it reduces pumping loss by means of an Atkinson cycle.
I barely know what that is.
But I do.
But in an ordinary gasoline engine, so it's it's changes that when cruising and other times when power is not needed,
the throttle valve is closed to reduce the intake airflow.
However, this increases airflow resistance pumping loss, which is the obstacle to improve fuel efficiency with an Atkinson cycle open close timing of the engine intake valves are actively controlled.
So compared to a conventional engine, you know, the airflow is controlled by the throttle valve and this engine is all controlled by this.
Weird multi link something about putting multi link parts inside a connecting rod.
Just I can't even visualize that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I just went to desing global innovation and that's what this thing popped up.
And yeah, it made me a little bit smarter because of it.
So thanks for making me a little smarter or more confused.
Yeah.
Well, same here.
You may be a little smarter.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You know, it shows it shows a little diagram of when there's lower compression versus higher compression.
It shows us like wave form thing with the fast and slow and variable compression ratio.
And all it really does is it widens out the ratio a little bit.
I don't know.
I would think sticking to like, you know, 9.5 to 1 and put the turbocharger on it would be all you need to do.
But apparently this makes it better.
Yeah.
I mean, I just thought the action of turbo, you know, you'd be forcing more air fuel in there and that would give you a higher compression ratio.
Yeah.
And I, you know, and I kind of, I want to thank you for bringing this up because I've driven a couple of these and I guess I didn't know there was all this stuff going on under the hood.
Yeah.
Okay.
Thanks.
Thanks Joe.
All right.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
Let's talk to Tom and Kingston.
Tom.
Good morning and happy Mother's Day to the ladies listening to the show.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
And the ones that aren't listening remind, you know, go, go, you know, go buy them something, buy them a rose or something.
I don't know.
Yeah.
And you're pretty high tech, by the way.
Send me voice messages.
Sounds good.
Get two questions for you.
The first one.
How do I know?
How do I know this is really you and not the recording you sent me?
The message is here.
Yeah, I know.
You have a direct line right to Tom's house.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Exactly.
But yeah, it was pretty slick.
But go ahead.
Okay.
We have two questions on the board right now.
One of them is the parking lots.
I noticed the other day when I was in my Toyota Sienna, I'm looking at the parking spaces.
It seemed like they're getting smaller.
And can you fit a bigger car in there?
Like the old days, the old 68 Cadillacs or the big Pontiac Bonavos, would they fit in those parking spots?
Well, I got to tell you this.
I've driven this last few months.
I've driven a lot of big SUVs lately.
Tahoe, QX80, this Expedition, a lot of big SUVs.
And they barely fit in the parking spaces.
And some of these are 18 feet long.
So they're as big as the cars from the 50s, really.
And the other thing is, take like an older Ford pickup truck.
They were probably a foot smaller, foot narrower than today's F-150, for instance.
Really?
Okay.
Vehicles have gotten bigger.
And parking spaces have gotten smaller.
And maybe not as much with Amazon, for instance, because people buy a lot of stuff online.
But you think about the cost of real estate.
And if you own a business, you want to try to jam as many cars in the parking lot as possible.
So it used to be, I swear, parking spaces were 10 feet wide.
Now they're eight and a half feet wide.
And I know at our AAA office in Providence, before COVID and work from home and all that stuff,
we had 500 parking spots.
One weekend, we left.
And when we came back, there were 530 parking spots because they restriped the parking spaces
and took like six or seven inches off of each space and made them smaller.
And they gained like 30 parking spots.
Now, with people working from home, as an example, most of our call receivers, unless they choose to,
work from home.
Some of them are like, no, I kind of like coming into the office.
And maybe lunch is better, I don't know.
But a lot of them work from home.
So the parking lot isn't crowded like it used to be.
And whether it's the local Walmart or Home Depot or something, some of those spots are pretty narrow.
And I know driving some of these big vehicles, I try to find a couple open spots at the end somewhere.
And then maybe I'm starting to show my age more than ever.
If I can find a drive-through spot where I drive in one side and out the other so I don't have to back up.
That's right.
That's like hitting the lottery.
Definitely.
And the second question I have is about motor oil.
With motor oil, we bought, I know they got 0, 20, all the different weights.
If I had a 1030, let's just talk something basic, 1030 motor oil.
And over time, does that lose its 1030?
Would it go down to like five or get thinner?
Or does it always stay that, even if I used it, if they took my motor oil out after one year of driving?
Would it still be 1030 or would it have lost its weight?
There's something called viscosity shear.
And that's where that 1030 isn't 1030 anymore.
It might be 1230, it might be 1025.
There is a guy on YouTube called a motor oil geek or something like that.
And he explains all this because he also owns a lab where they do testing of oil.
And it is a little geeky watching it.
But absolutely over time, two things can happen.
Either you can have viscosity shear where it doesn't hold that 530 anymore.
Or else, because oil tends to absorb moisture, it can actually thicken.
So sometimes it thins out and the viscosity doesn't stay where it's supposed to be.
And other times, it's thicker.
And especially on a vehicle that, say you changed your oil in your Toyota Sienna a year ago,
but you decided not to drive it for a year.
What can happen is the additives can actually settle out of the oil.
So maybe after it runs for a while, the additive might circulate and kind of mix back together again.
But additive packages can settle.
So between the additive settling out and this viscosity shear and condensation affecting the thickness of the oil,
yeah, oil can change over time.
The idea that I heard somebody say one time, well, yeah, oil doesn't lose its viscosity.
That 10-year-old oil in that 20-year-old time is still going to lubricate.
Not the way it did when it was new.
Does the motor oil breathe?
For example, you just said about moisture getting in there.
Moisture getting in there.
We heat up the engine.
We run it.
Yeah, it is high gross scopic, which means it attracts moisture.
Not like brake fluid does, but it does attract moisture.
And inside your engine, there can be some little moisture issues with head gaskets to seep a little bit and things like that.
Normal combustion process.
And what happens is when the oil gets up to temperature, it evaporates all of those contaminants and moisture out of the oil through the PCV system.
So yeah, that's a way to look at it.
It absolutely does breathe.
It figures on a rainy day versus a dry day like the air in Arizona versus if you're up in Washington state with the moisture.
You get all that air coming into the air filter and it has moisture in it.
Yeah, it does.
And chances are, you think about it as probably goes into an engine where the combustion temperature is 1,000 degrees.
Well, it still turns into something.
Like Bob Tasker was saying, running the electric funny car or drags or whatever, he's going to run out in Arizona.
The air is thin, which is going to be an advantage for electric versus gas car out there too.
So different tune set up that thin air is going to help them go faster.
So yeah, air coming in makes a difference.
Different than today's cars versus a car with a carburetor and regular ignition years ago.
Today, the idea of having to use different octane for if you're up in Denver versus being in Plymouth, the cars make up for that.
They're pretty good at making all the adjustments for that kind of stuff.
But years ago, that was a big deal.
I hope I shared this with you once before, but I was going through my shed and I found a timing light, a Penske, chrome plated timing light with the dwell meter.
I don't know if I'll ever use this again.
I put it on eBay.
The guy bought it.
It was $30 including shipping.
So I contacted the person.
He called me back and, you know, we get to tell a couple of stories and tell me, why did he get that?
He says, I got a 1974 Torino.
I wish you the best.
Yeah, yeah.
No, I had a tack dwell meter, a nice one, you know, back then it was something.
And a really nice timing light with the display wheel in the back of it.
One of my New England motor press members, Craig Fitzgerald, had at the time a Corvair and an old Blazer.
And I brought it to a meeting and I said, here, take this, take, you know, go, go, because I'm never going to use it again.
And it was, you know, at the time I was moving from Abington to the Cape and, you know, was trying to sort through tools.
And, you know, I gave a bunch of way to the Votech school.
You know, I gave some away.
I sold a few, but selling stuff on, you know, a Facebook marketplace and all that can be sort of annoying.
And yeah, it's like I'm never going to use them.
We'll let you go in a minute because we have Mike from Bridgewater on the phone with us.
But, you know, I got an email from somebody one day who said, you know, with all these new cars should I just throw away my, you know, standard sockets and wrenches and just go completely metric.
And I'm like, no, don't, because you're going to find every once in a while you're going to be tanking around the house.
That's right.
And it ain't going to be a metric bolt or nut or something.
And you're going to wish you never did that.
So hold on to the SAE stuff.
I know somebody told me that I'm going to give it to my screwdriver because nobody uses screws anymore.
They go different heads on the devices that you use, the screws.
Yeah.
No.
Don't do that.
You're going to need it.
No.
No.
Yeah.
You're going to find when you threw away all those Phillips bits and because you're just using Torx deck screws these days, you're going to find a Phillips screw and go, huh, I wish I held on to that thing that didn't take up any room.
So yeah.
Definitely.
Absolutely.
Tom, always a pleasure.
Good talking to you.
All right.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
iPhone number 7818374900.
Let's talk to Mike in Bridgewater.
Michael.
Michael.
Morning, John.
Morning.
Morning, John.
May I share with you the continuing saga of my Lexus brake booster pump assembly issue just to refresh your memory.
Yeah.
Refresh my memory.
Sure.
Why?
Well, 2016, Lexus, the S300H issue was the tire pressure monitor was coming in and out, dashes, numbers coming back and on, and then you'd get a brief problem with ABS light flashing for a nanosecond, and then there was getting pulsing when you're trying to stop.
And then it wouldn't stop.
Then it wouldn't stop, as I remember, right?
What would happen is you'd keep your foot on the brake, obviously.
ABS would kick in, it would pulse, but instead of it stopping where it should have, it pulsed, and then you stopped further on.
So that's the deal.
It pulsed so quickly, but my idea is it kind of takes, you know, just to know, it takes you away when you get that, even though you're holding your foot down, the car is still moving a little bit further.
So I took all of your suggestions, I called customer service back on the 27th.
So, and I told them about things that you suggested, you know, it's a dangerous, it's breaking.
You had looked up all data, and the only issue you had was the brake booster assembly, and they were doing a support, customer support, and they gave me a number for that.
Okay, so I spoke with the Lexus Web, and I wrote down the minutes.
I spoke with the person for 48 minutes, so this was not just hate, on and off, whatever.
Explain the situation.
They said, oh, well, we know of the issue, but we need, as just you said, that they need certain codes, and the codes weren't coming up.
And, you know, I had expressed when I first brought it into juniors, that, you know, if they do it, do they clear codes first, or whatever.
So, basically, what the gentleman said happened to be a male.
And, you know, when I said to him, well, you know, where am I with this?
Well, he said two couple of things.
First of all, they rely on the dealership information.
I get it, I understand.
He said, get a second opinion.
Well, I've got two, juniors and yours.
Then I talked to him about a field rep, because that's something that you suggested to me.
Right, field engineer, yep.
Field engineer, come on down.
Well, the way he explained it, you need the dealership to get that down.
You get somebody to come down and do this.
And I asked him, I said, well, who are the field reps employed by?
Are they employed by the dealership, or are they employed by Lexus?
And I was unclear.
Is the field engineer employed by Lexus?
They're employed by Lexus, yeah.
Okay, so.
And they may even be employed.
And I don't know this, but for instance, you know, Toyota Motor Sales, you know, they're located in Mansfield.
And that may be where the Lexus reps work out of too.
I don't know, but that might just be Toyota, and maybe Lexus just works out of New Jersey.
Okay, so, all right.
So anyways, the gentleman, you know, was giving me this, and I'll be honest with you,
and sometimes he's putting them on hold, and I think it was for a cup of coffee.
Do I know that for sure? No.
And then he'd come back.
Are you needed to go to the bathroom?
Yeah.
Exactly.
Yeah, probably.
Former versus latter, whatever.
All right, so, and then I said, well, you know, that leaves me with an issue that every time I put on the brakes,
what's going to happen?
And, you know, and he kept putting back and forth.
And here's the best part.
Well, as I said, there's just somebody else I may speak with.
Yes, I will send a note.
The person is busy now, but they will call you within 24 hours.
That's great.
Okay.
You know what I'm going to say here, John, that was on the 27th.
I'm still waiting for the follow-up phone call.
So, and I love it.
They sent me an email about Lexus Survey Experience here.
So, I will tell you that the situation has not presented itself since last we spoke.
However, on the dashboard, all I have on now, forget everything else.
The only screen that I have on now is the tire pressure monitor just to make sure that it's still sending the information.
And it is.
Is there anything else?
I mean, to me, it was catch 22.
Ken, if they're telling me the dealer has to request the field service guy, you know, the engineer, then how do you get a field service engineer if they feel they've done everything they should?
Well, that's exactly when they need to do that.
When they go, we've done everything we can and we still don't see a, we still, we believe what you tell, and that's one of the things.
They have to believe what you tell them that they're still, it's still acting up even though there's no code.
And they've done everything they can do and that's where they could go, you know what?
We have exhausted all of our expertise at the dealership and that's where we need to maybe call in a field service engineer where maybe they can come up with something we're missing.
And, you know, over the years when I was a Toyota Lexus Arbiter, when I did this for lemon law, the field service engineers were also the people that taught the classes.
So they would teach the technician classes, for instance.
I don't know that that is a case.
I hope it still is that these people are, you know, the sales and service reps that come in, you know, they have an understanding, but they're not engineers.
They're not the people that really know functionally what's going on with the vehicle.
To me, I think, yeah, I think someone needs to come out and they need to go, you know, what you're describing is the symptom of the ABS pump and master cylinder.
And, you know, we don't want it to turn into a bigger deal, so we need to just authorize the dealership to replace it and it'll be covered under some extended warranty kind of thing.
So the dealer will get paid and Toyota will take it out and test it and see if it was a mistake made or whether it was something that really needed to be replaced.
So, but yeah, I would, I mean, I would go back, you know, make that phone call again and say, hey, look, you know, four days ago or 10 days ago, whenever it was, you said 24 hours later, I'd be getting a call from, you know, a supervisor about this issue.
And, you know, that 24 hours, you know, even if it was, and sometimes they get a little cheeky and they say, well, 24 hours is 38 hour business days.
Okay, but it's still been more than 38 hour business days.
It has, yeah.
Yeah.
You know, and they said they was going to be cleared by the resolutions teams within a business day up to another supervisor and I'm still waiting for the phone call.
I have a case number, but you know what the guy said?
You have to basically, even the leftist rep there when I brought it in said, well, you got to let us when it happens again.
Come on in.
Well, that's the whole idea.
I don't want it to happen again.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
But I don't know how to get around the catch 22 joint.
You know, how do I say to them, look, I need this to be at least some sort of peace of mind that telling me I need certain codes.
Well, I, if I don't have the codes, but I saw you showed you and told you, why would I call you?
This is the problem.
John, I got to be honest with you.
The rep was just, you know, reading off the script.
Yep.
And doing not out, not out for skate, but, you know, make them feel like you're getting them somewhere.
I'm sorry.
After all this, we still can't do anything and all that.
And I don't know what else to do here.
They didn't say, they I appreciate your frustration.
Wait a minute.
That was probably not bold.
They forgot to bold and underline that.
Yeah.
I, you know, I don't know.
I'll try to make the phone call.
Listen, I don't want to make this the continuing saga.
You know, yeah, but I kind of do.
So there you go.
All right.
Okay.
All right.
Good luck.
I appreciate all of expertise and I appreciate it.
Thank you, sir.
All right.
Take care, Mike.
Bye-bye.
Why don't we take a quick break when we come back?
We'll wrap up the show today.
Our phone number 718374900.
If you have a quick question, give us a call.
You're listening to car doctor program on 959WATD.
We'll be right back.
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Now, back to the car doctor.
And welcome back to the car doctor program on 959WATD on this Mother's Day.
So make sure Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.
Jesse, you stopping at the 7-Eleven to pick up a gift?
Oh, I got it out in front of it.
You did?
I did.
Lottery tickets?
No, just flowers and things.
The kids that made some special crafts for the wife, so she'll appreciate those.
Nice, nice, nice.
One quick question that came in.
I like this one.
It says, I have a 2024 Mazda CX90 3.3 liter turbo.
It's got 10,000 miles.
Since new, my free oil changes at the dealer services use 5W20 semi-synthetic service manual.
Service says it's acceptable even though the owner's manual recommends 0W20.
Manual says nothing about alternatives.
Online comments about this are all over the place such as 020, 520 are virtually interchangeable.
Some say use 020 in extreme cold temperatures where 5W30 would work otherwise.
And there are also some that say 020 during winter changes and 530 during summer weather.
I know you're probably going to say follow the manufacturer's manual, but to repeat,
Mazda only recommends and my dealer uses a different viscosity.
And does oil choice affect the powertrain warranty?
And he says also after tire rotation, some places not sure if all offer a retorque of lug nuts
after some miles, how necessary is this?
Well, it's interesting in the USA and Canada, the recommendation 0W20 and the rest of the world,
the exact vehicle, same exact vehicle, 5W30 is the recommendation and then goes on to say
if 5W30 oil is not available, use 5W20, use 0W30 or 10W30 oil are all acceptable.
More than likely the 020 is for mileage rather than engine protection as for warranty.
No, as long as the oil meets the API spec and is changed as recommended, no warranty issues there.
So it's interesting that in the US and Canada, 020 thinner oil gets better fuel economy.
That's the reason the rest of the world, they go a little thicker oil, more protection in my opinion
and less concern about fuel economy.
Checking lug nuts after driving is always a good idea, is it necessary?
Not really in my opinion, unless you're dealing with rusty components or custom wheels.
So if you put wheels on and the hubs are kind of rusty or the back of the wheels have a little bit of corrosion on them.
Yeah, probably a good idea to recheck them.
Also, custom wheels, you know, and I'm going to date myself, you know, old fashioned Craggers, you know, kind of thing.
You know, those because they use a different style lug nut.
Yeah, always a good idea after the first 50 miles or so.
Come back in, check them.
I know a lot of tire stores offer that and they also check tire pressure when you come back in.
So it's probably a liability issue, but also, you know, can't hurt.
So there you go.
We need to go.
I think we're out of time, Jesse, aren't we?
Oh, yes, we are.
Yeah, there we go.
So happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there until next week.
Make sure you wear your seatbelt, drive safely, be good to your car.
And if you do see an emergency vehicle by the side of the road, slow down or move over, it saves lives.
Talk to you all next week.
Bye-bye.
About this episode
Ford employee pricing takes center stage with Bob Tasca III, who frames it as a real customer value and explains how timing and inventory affect when to buy. The conversation then swings into Tasca’s drag-racing background and an all-electric Cobra Jet record attempt, plus how battery tech and engine development tie into future performance. Later, the hosts cover practical ownership topics—oil viscosity and warranty, lug-nut re-torque, and even diagnosing an intermittent Lexus brake/ABS issue—before diving into Ford’s Expedition Tremor and variable-compression engine tech.
In this episode we talk with Bob Tasca lll, VP Tasca Automotive Group and CEO of Tasca Racing about Ford Employee pricing for all. We also cover some racing, how he drove a funny car to 341 miles per hour (a Jeopardy question) and how his grandfather Bob Tasca coined the expression "Win of Sunday Sell on Monday". We also review the Ford Expedition Tremor.
